This invention relates to a foldable cover for a tuck bed such as a pick-up truck bed.
In the past covers for a truck box or bed have been described in the art comprising one or more panels designed to fold, slide or telescope into remaining portions of the cover.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,858 to A. G. J. Boismier, a truck box cover is provided capable of being completely folded away or used for other purposes. The cover comprises four panels arranged in pairs of outer panels and inner panels. Each outer panel is provided with a hinge mounted on the top edge of a side wall of the pick-up box. Each inner panel is secured to the corresponding outer panel by a second hinge. The first hinge makes it possible to turn an outer panel 270.degree. to a vertical position outside the truck box. The second hinge makes it possible to pivot an inner panel 180.degree. with respect to a corresponding outer panel. In another embodiment of the invention the cover can be used as a load binder.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,086,091 to P. Payette a vehicle body having a removable cover is described which may be fastened and sealed in the closed position. The cover has downwardly curved side walls having rim portions on their inner edges to form a cover receiving groove. An end gate is pivotably connected to the vehicle body by means of pivot pins. The removable cover comprises four sections extending from the top of the body to the end gate. The top section is pivotably connected to the top rim of the body and this top section is pivotably connected to the next adjacent section and the other sections are pivotably connected to each other. A fastening bar is used to swing over the end gate and engage the last rear section of the cover for locking. To remove the cover the fastening bar is disengaged and the rearward cover section is swung upwardly and moved laterally to disengage its pivot pins. The next two cover sections are similarly removed and the top cover section is swung forwardly. In a modification, the cover sections are hingedly connected to each other to allow folding of each section forwardly.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,717 to C. F. Garvert there is provided a cover for a pick-up truck mounted over the box comprising two panels, each panel having two hinged doors which doors allow access to the box when the panels are closed. The panels themselves are hingedly mounted on a frame inside the box to allow vertical positioning of the panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,072 to F. R. Cross relates to a telescoping cover for the box of a pick-up truck comprising a series of interlocking rectangular panels moveable within tracks formed in the sides of the truck bed and capable of being moved forwardly into a stacked relationship. U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,523 also shows a telescoping cover for a pick-up truck.
The present invention provides a foldable cover for a vehicle bed, particularly, a pick-up truck bed which, in one embodiment employs hingedly connected flat panels and a forward cover member arranged in a series extending across the length of the truck bed wherein no panel or cover member is secured to the frame of the vehicle and which cover does not entail the sliding or telescoping of any of its members. In another embodiment of the invention a foldable cover is provided which employs matching rear and forward cover members hingedly connected to central flat panels. By virtue of the foldable cover of the invention, it is possible to gain access to sections of the bed without uncovering the remaining sections, thereby making it convenient and well as ideal for unloading or loading articles from or to the bed in bad weather.